WHITEWATER, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point volleyball team (14-8) gave the No. 10 Gustavus Adolphus Gusties (16-2) a good run, but the Pointers fell in four sets on Friday at the UWW Dig Panici Classic.
 
Junior April Gehl (Hilbert, Wis./Hilbert) became the eighth player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills with her seventh kill of the match early in the second set.  She recorded another double-double with 24 kills and 23 digs for UWSP.
 
Sophomore Ellie Adams (Racine, Wis./William Horlick) led all players with 45 assists in the match.  Tara Emme (St. Nazianz, Wis./Valders) added 11 kills and four blocks for the Pointers.
 
Gehl's first kill gave UWSP a 2-1 lead early in the first set.  The teams traded points until another kill by Gehl gave the Pointers a 10-7 lead.  Later in the set, Tara Emme (St. Nazianz, Wis./Valders) registered a kill to help UWSP avert the first set point, but consecutive points by GAC gave the Gusties a 26-24 win.
 
Consecutive kills by Gehl gave the Pointers a 4-0 edge to open the second set.  GAC followed with five-straight points and the teams again battled neck-in-neck through the set.  Down by a 16-12 score, Gehl powered four kills and combined with Hailey Jarr (Bloomer, Wis./Bloomer) for a block to tie the set at 17-17.  Maddie Lawson (West Allis, Wis./Nathan Hale) buried a kill to give UWSP set point and Gehl followed with the set-winning kill.
 
Jarr recorded a pair of kills as UWSP used a 6-0 run to tie the third set at 8-8.  Later in the set, three-straight kills by Gehl cancelled the first three set points before GAC clinched a 2-1 lead.
 
Emme had a pair of mid-set kills as UWSP took an 18-11 lead in the fourth set.  The Gusties used an 11-2 to overtake the lead.  A pair of kills by Gehl kept the Pointers in the set, but the 10th-ranked Gusties closed out the match.
 
The Pointers face St. Thomas and Luther on Saturday to conclude the weekend in Whitewater.  Match times are slated for 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., respectively.